


Breaking the Habit

by fayolin



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-17
Updated: 2011-07-17
Packaged: 2017-10-21 12:19:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/225097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fayolin/pseuds/fayolin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>ModernAU.  Erik and Charles are the adoptive fathers of 5 children.  Erik has been trying to quit smoking for the good of the family, but it's harder than Charles thinks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking the Habit

The last of the kids were finally put to bed. Charles picked at the piece of gum that one of the little girls, Raven or Angel, managed to get into the hair at the nape of his neck during teeth brushing time. Fortunately, it hadn’t stuck too deeply, and didn’t need any special techniques to remove it.

He envied Erik, whose turn it was tonight to get the boys to bed. While Hank, Sean and Alex put up a lot of fuss when bedtime was announced, they stalled a lot less once it was clear that “no bedtime” was never an option. The girls would dutifully tromp up to their rooms, but once they were there, it was a million excuses and reasons that they needed to be able to stay up five more minutes. While Charles dearly loved his little monsters, they were still a handful. These little episodes of feminine wiles were why he and Erik quietly determined who would get which set of children from games of skill and chance throughout the day.

If Charles didn't know better, he would think that Erik rigged that game of horseshoes earlier, despite the careful watching by all five sets of little eyes.

Walking down the stairs to the kitchen, Charles sighed to himself. The kids filled his and Erik's home with love, but at the same time, he wondered what in the hell he was thinking in adopting five mutant children, to raise and teach as his own. Well, their own, really.

While Charles had a family house in upstate New York, he and Erik thought that if they were going to raise these little, talented children in a world that was going to be against them, they couldn’t hide out in the wilderness all the time. However, they still liked the idea of being able to fall back into security, so they were attempting to see if they could balance their ideals and their reality. This modest house in a mid-sized town was their attempt to have a normal outside with an extraordinary inside.

As Charles walked into the kitchen, he was surprised to find it empty. Erik should have been down by now, given that the girls demanded four stories before bed. Looking around the kitchen, he saw a child's water glass, letting him know that one of the boys wanted a drink before bed. He could empathize.

Walking towards the pantry, where Erik and Charles kept the "adult drinks" on a flight-proof top shelf. As he walked towards the door, the cross breeze brought an acrid smell from the yard, causing Charles' nose to wrinkle, and his blood to begin to boil. He had _promised_...

Stalking towards the back door, Charles flung it open, unconcerned with the loud thump it would make on the wall. Sitting on the back step, a comically shocked Erik looked up at Charles, his mostly smoked cigarette half hidden behind his back in a reflexive gesture and a loosely wrapped bandage on his visible hand.

"You said you had quit!" yelled Charles, half-voiced. He shook with fury, and only by the barest of margins did the entire house not shake with him.

"One of the boys had a snapping turtle," said Erik, flicking his butt in the gravel under the window. "When I walked the little critter to the pond, he bit my hand. I stopped by the shed to get a cloth to bind my finger, and…"

"And you found your hidden stash?" interrupted Charles, in no mood for excuses. He crossed his arms so tightly across his chest they hurt. "I asked you to throw them out."

"Charles, you just don't understand…"

"They are going to kill you, Erik! That's what they do!"

"Do you think this is easy?" asked Erik, standing up, the loose bandage around his hand falling to the ground. His eyes slowly transitioned from chagrined to angry with every moment of Charles' anger. "I've been smoking since I was 13. I never thought I would quit."

"Then why did you promise you would?"

"Because you were being so passive aggressive about it!"

"Passive aggressive? You know my grandmother DIED from lung cancer…"

"And you have never been addicted to anything in your life!" snarled Erik, stalking off into the yard. Charles followed, only just not slamming the door behind him.

Charles caught up to Erik at the shed that had become Erik's corner of solitude. With all the children running around, it had become important to both of them to carve out their own little sections of privacy. Charles felt most comfortable in the small library in the half-sized room above the garage, and Erik had claimed a tool shed. As Charles approached the wooden shack, he saw Erik pushing against it, his head down and his entire body vibrating with tension.

"It isn't easy," said Erik, his voice calm and defeated. "I honestly thought I had gotten ridden of the last of them."

"Dammit Erik…"

"I didn't _lie_ to you, Charles," spat Erik, staring out into night. "It's just with the kids, the stress, and figuring out how to keep us safe here, it's hard. You don't understand how hard."

"I understand that it will _kill you_ Erik," said Charles, turning the other man towards him to he can look in his eyes. "Something hard is worth you being around to see our kids growing up. "

"I know, I know," said Erik, pulling Charles towards him in a hug. Charles' anger leaked out of him in the embrace. "And I promise, I'll look through my things tomorrow and get rid of the rest of them."

"Maybe I can help you?" asked Charles, pulling away to gesture towards his temple. Erik shook his head.

"No, plenty of people have kicked the habit without the aid of a telepath."

"The offer's open," said Charles, pulling Erik back towards the house. "I'm here to help."

"I know one way you could help," said Erik, a predatory grin spreading over his face. His hands curled into grabbing claws as he stalked towards his partner. Charles looked back with a coy smile and a knowing glance, as he scrambled towards the back door. Erik quickly caught him, and pushed him up against the railing. Erik nuzzled into Charles’ neck, until he felt a small but firm hand push at his chest. Erik looked down at Charles, confusion in his face.

"First,” said Charles, a mischievous smile on his face. “You are going to have to brush your teeth."

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt at http://the-flynnster.tumblr.com/ .


End file.
